Johan Tobias Sergel was elected in 1794 as a foreign member of the Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In connection with a visit to Copenhagen the same year, Juel painted a portrait of Sergel.

Jens Juel was the leading artist in 18th century Denmark. He received his first education in Hamburg, where the city's bourgeois taste of the Dutch painting tradition characterized him. Back in Denmark, Juel won the Academy's gold medal in 1771 and the following year he received a scholarship for a longer educational jouney and went to Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France, among other places. The artist received many portrait orders, especially from the bourgeoisie and the nobility, and in a short time became the country's undisputed court painter. His portrait is characterized by an empathetic portrayal of people. Juel was also a fine colorist and his portraits have a touch of elegance, figurative simplicity and psychological qualities.